Emerald Isle by Barbra Annino Page A

bus. We shall discuss this incident later.”
    I watched as Birdie made a wide loop around Tallulah, who stood there with an
aw, shucks
look on her face.
    “Look, Miss Justice, we run a pretty tight ship around here.”
    “And a brutal ship, from the sound of it, just not a fair one.” I stepped into her personal space. “This is how it’s going to be, Doherty. Brighid and all the other kids will be treated with respect and diplomacy. You will not punish those who do no wrong, you will punish those who misbehave in accordance with the Druid triads and Celtic law, and that means Miss Tallulah. The kid’s probably pissed off because her parents slapped her with that ridiculous name, so she’ll need some positive guidance too.” I narrowed my eyes. “That means no spankings, lashings, slapping, or any other bullshit you intend to rain down on these kids. You got me?”
    She swallowed hard and nodded.
    “And if I hear you laid a hand on any of them—especially Brighid—I’ll be coming back for you.”
    Lightning split the sky then, and a thunderous cloud boomed over our heads.
    Behind me, Tallulah started chanting her spiteful Brigit rhyme again.
    With the image of Badb’s crows in my mind, heat in my gut, and love in my heart, I waved my arms in a frenzied circle that brought no fewer than three dozen crows flying over Tallulah’s head to soil her sweater.
    She screamed and ran for the bus.
    I turned back to Mrs. Doherty.
    “Who
are
you?” she asked.
    I spread my arms out wide. “I’m the Seeker of Justice, baby.”
    The black cloud parted, and out flew the giant bird—I suddenly realized it was Badb in shape-shifting form. She plunged toward the earth and scooped me up into the sky, her huge wings flapping gently toward the unknown.

Chapter 14

    When I opened my eyes, I was wearing the gown Lolly had made me and sitting near the huge hearth in the palace of the goddess. The sword was at my side, and Thor was at my feet. The fire felt good, so I leaned in to warm my hands by the blaze. A tray next to the chair held a glass of water, soft bread, and a bunch of grapes.
    Danu was standing in front of me, tapping her foot, a smarmy look on her face.
    I rolled my eyes. “You proved your point. I am completely convinced that you are who you say you are, and I will do anything you ask, anything you need. Just please don’t flash me back to babysit my great-great-grandmother, or introduce me to anyone who worked on the
Titanic
. I can’t risk losing more brain cells, and the chances of my screwing up history are too great and too close to home,” I said.
    Then I thought about it and looked at her hopefully. “Actually, I might be able to help with the
Titanic
.”
    “No.”
    “Fair enough. So how do I find the cauldron?”
    She snapped her fingers and the sphere floated forward. Badb came into the room then, loaded down with maps, which she spread out across a large banquet table.
    I helped myself to the water and grapes as Danu explained to me that I needed to gather all four corners—Guardian, Mage, Warrior, Seeker—and head to the Hill of Summoning.
    “While you are all responsible for the treasures as a whole, each of you has an intimate connection with a specific hallow. To the Seeker goes the cauldron. The Warrior is tethered to the spear. For the Guardian, it is the sword of light. The stone of destiny is tied to the Mage. The remaining three corners must connect with his or her treasure before you all approach the Hill of Summoning to find the missing cauldron. How that connection is satisfied is up to the individual; we do not govern the humans. Then, at the hill, you should be able to cast a spell to conjure an image of the cauldron. The strength of all of you combined leaves me no doubt that the cauldron will lead you directly to it. You just need to open your mind and follow the signs.”
    “Like what? What kind of signs?”
    “You will know them when you see them. Or hear them. Or feel